TheSamba.com :: View topic - Bye bye beloved Buggy... 1971

Wed Nov 07, 2007 2:33 am

:cry: :cry: :cry:

I will remember the past Friday, November 2, 2007 as the most terrible day in my life..

I've been using my right-hand drive, SWB Manx-style buggy for the past few weeks as a daily driver for work purposes, since my 1997 Mercedes-Benz E220 (W124 shape) was stolen at the end of July. It is summer here in South Africa, and with an average daytime temperature of around 26 degrees Celcius, driving around in a buggy is only a pleasure. I am a software support agent for a major vehicle tracking and recovery company, and I am on the road all day visiting clients for software installations, repairs and training. Our clients are all over the Gauteng province, inbetween the City of Johannesburg and Pretoria and surrounding areas. I travel an average of up to 2000 kms per week, and as I said with buggy it is only fun all the way.

On Friday afternoon at around 16:00 I was on my way home on the R24 highway, not too far from the O.R. Tambo International Airport. Traffic was extremely busy (not unusual for a typical Gauteng afternoon), and at a stage it came to a complete standstill on a slight downhill around a corner. I was in the middle lane, and stopped behind a green Fiat, with the buggy still idling. Behind me was a Toyota Hilux pickup.

Further back behind us, a large Volvo truck with a fully-loaded trailer was speeding towards the stationary traffic, and its brakes failed. It ploughed into the stationary cars, and the Hilux pickup with a large bull bar hit me directly from behind. The engine broke into pieces, the roof was ripped off and the fibreglass of the body was shattered into pieces. I can recall a sensation that the buggy was lifted up from behind and onto it's left side. I managed to jump away from the buggy (it didn't have any safety belts), just as I was pushed into the Fiat in front of me, which probably saved my life.

I basically walked away from the scene with only a broken left thumb, some cuts and bruises and a small burn mark on my upper left arm, where I think the buggy exhaust hit me. Absolutely no injury to my face or head. I still managed to walk around the scene and take a few pictures with my mobile phone, before the medics strapped me down on a spinal board and neck support, and took me to a nearby hospital. My thumb was operated on Saturday afternoon, and I was discharged from hospital on Sunday morning. Currently recovering at home with stiff muscles, a sore thumb, and a broken heart. That buggy was my life...

I want to thank my fiancee, Teresa, all my family and especially my loyal friends from our Forum www.aircooledvwsa.co.za for all the calls, visits, smses, e-mails and prayers. I am really very lucky to be alive, and thank God Almighty for giving me a second chance. Unfortunately, due to some technical problems I can't access the South African forum at the moment, but I will reply to all the posts there as soon as possible.

My best wishes also to the other victims of the accident and their family members. As far as I could find out, there were no casualties or other serious injuries.

Please allow me to share a few pictures with you:

This is what the buggy looked like the day I bought her about 10 years ago, the PO built her in 1971 on an '54 chassis with an 1100 engine:

I rebuilt and repainted her and fitted with standard 1600 twinport Beetle engine. First with 15' EMPI Sprintstar wheels, later with 14' aluminium slotted Puma wheels:

These pictures were taken 2 weeks ago during a camping trip, that's Teresa in the (left hand side) passenger seat:

Scene of the accident and what's left of the buggy, Friday November 2, 2007 at around 16:15. Note the fuel tank in the background (which had about 25 litres of gas in at the time), and the petrol spilled over the road. Luckily no flames!

Rear view of wreck. Engine completely disintegrated

Right rear buggy wheel - (ex South African Puma)

Bonnet/dash - completely ripped off

This is the Hilux that hit me from behind. The lady in the Lexus underneath escaped with only a small scratch on her cheek, her little daugter completly unharmed!

License plates I recovered after the accident. Rear plate at the top:

Fuel cap, steering wheel badge, shift lever (which was broken off by some part of my body, just don't know which), the key that was in the ignition at the time, and the only piece I could find of an EMPI aluminium valve cover:

Earlier Friday morning, I found these 2 Hot Wheels cars at a Pick 'n Pay shop (something like Wal-Mart), they were in a small back pack I had in the buggy, and they also did not survive the crash...

(this pic is from a Hot Wheels Collector's site, to illustrate what the models looke like 'before')

And these are my 2 models. I think the buggy must have rolled over the bag they were in :cry:

Future plans are not clear at the moment, but I would love to build another buggy (Hot Wheels II) as soon as possible. The Lolette buggy (Manx clone) are still available new here in South Africa, and I prefer it to be in exactly the same style as the previous buggy (Hot Wheels I). Just plain and simple, as I regard myself.

There is, however a '72 sunroof Bay Bus I have recently bought which needs some attention to become a daily driver for the time being, and a long-term Brazilian SP2 resto project.

I will post some more pics of the buggy wreck and the accident scene as soon as I receive it from the other people.

Bye bye my dearest orange buggy, we've had the greatest of great times together, which I will never forget. Thanks for starting every time I turned the key. Thanks for all the smiles you put on the faces of people who saw you, especially the little kids. Thanks for the wind in the hair, and the feeling of total freedom behind your wheel.

Thanks for saving my life, and sacrificing your own.

Hope you have a great eternal life in buggy heaven, with an endless supply of leaded petrol, a white beach to drive on, stunning Califorinian babes with bikinis in your seats and longboards on your roof.

I'm really missing you.... :cry:

Wed Nov 07, 2007 5:35 am

Holy crap Adriaan...you were lucky!!!

Just take solice in the fact that they still make Dune Buggy kits but they don't make Adriaan Pienaars of your vintage any more!!!

Dave.

Wed Nov 07, 2007 5:37 am

Those photos are disturbing sad and your a very lucky person. sorry to hear about the buggy.

Wed Nov 07, 2007 5:59 am

Good grief, man! This is incredible. I've never seen so much wreckage with so little injury. You are so, so very fortunate. Wow. Incredible. Glad you're okay.

Wed Nov 07, 2007 6:01 am

:shock: :shock: :shock: That's SCARY!! You are very lucky.

Glad you are OK. I hope the at fault party has insurance and the insurance company doesn't try to screw you because it's just an "old VW buggy". You should probably start adding up what it will take to replace it and get some prices on similar buggies. Be ready for war.

I always watch my mirror when coming to stop lights and try to leave myself an out just as I do when riding a motorcycle. However, in your case it wouldn't have mattered since you were already stopped and the truck behind you did the same.

I hope it all works out for you.

Wed Nov 07, 2007 6:04 am

WOW
Sorry for your loss good thing you were able to get out of it in time.

As for me i feel your pain its just not a car its a buggy.
makes me think maybe i should think about a full cage for mine when the time comes to rebuild.

Wed Nov 07, 2007 6:31 am

:( Looking for a few words to say but I have none. I am glad you are okay.

Wed Nov 07, 2007 7:00 am

:idea: I just had a brain fart. If the insurance will not cover your loses and you want to build a new buggy, I would like to buy a piece of your old buggy to help finance it. I am sure a lot of guys here would be more then happy to help as well.

Wed Nov 07, 2007 7:04 am

I don't know about you other buggy pilots but that scares me! I often think of selling for that reason. It's not my driving that worries me it's the other guy.

Glad you're OK.

Wed Nov 07, 2007 7:44 am

WOW... Hurts to look at. That looked like a real nice car, a manx Id happily have driven!

Glad your ok...

Wed Nov 07, 2007 7:49 am

what a hrrible collision! i can't belive it disintigrated like that!
glad to hear you weren't seriously hurt.

on the positive side, looks like those pans were pretty darn strong.

Wed Nov 07, 2007 7:50 am

Glad you are OK. This serves as a reminder that our buggies should really be driven with the same care as we would ride a street bike. There's nothing you could have done however, I'm just glad you reacted quickly enough to get out in time.

I will be pulling off to the side of the lane when stopped in traffic just as I did when I rode a street bike for this very reason.

I'm with Kustoms, If you need help replacing your buggy, I have spare parts from my build. DOn't know how hard it would be to get them to Africa though.

Wed Nov 07, 2007 8:12 am

Pretty amazing that you even survived! Buggies are loved, but replaceable. Individuals are not.

I also find it amazing how the floors seem to have almost no deformation.

Wed Nov 07, 2007 8:35 am

Doesn't appear as if that will buff out.

Amazing you walked away.

I hate to say it, but if it were me, I would probably never step in a buggy again.

Wed Nov 07, 2007 8:47 am

I can say that I know from your prior posts just how much you loved that car and the buggy phenomena in general.
Take a breath and locate some sad buggy somwhere and breath new life into it. One thing you still have is a good title, many buggies are sitting around without paperwork.
You must have one heck of a gardian angel my friend, It certainly wasn't your day to go!

Wed Nov 07, 2007 8:50 am

SiggyManx#33 wrote:
I hate to say it, but if it were me, I would probably never step in a buggy again.

So would you swear off motorcycles and compact cars too? I don't care what you are driving, that could have easily ended badly for anybody involved including the guy driving the semi.

My strategy is pay attention, be extra careful, enjoy life, tell people you love them every time you leave the house, and be ready for your number to be pulled at all times.

Wed Nov 07, 2007 8:52 am

Looking at thoes pics and trying to find anything reuseable is blowing me away, there isn't anything I can pick out!!
The only thing left from that car is - YOU !!!

Wed Nov 07, 2007 9:00 am

Webster Dictionary:

Totaled

Wed Nov 07, 2007 9:07 am

Evidently buggies are pretty safe. All that and only a broken thumb and heart.

Wed Nov 07, 2007 9:17 am

engineerorange wrote: SiggyManx#33 wrote:
I hate to say it, but if it were me, I would probably never step in a buggy again.

So would you swear off motorcycles and compact cars too?

If it were me in that accident and I was in a compact or on a motorcycle....yes, I would swear them off.

While I do believe that when it's your time, it's your time. If I was lucky enough to walk away from that, I would probably live my life quite differently for a while.

But that's just me, I am a person of calculated risks.

FYI: I does matter what you are driving, an SUV is safer in a rear end accident than a buggy. Pulling over onto the shoulder could potentilly be more dangerous as some people head for that lane instictually when in a panic situation.

I don't want to hi-jack the thread.

Thank goodness the driver walked away from this.